Evolution of a Man
by HannahC
Summary: Sarah is a bartender at the bar where Detective Mark Hoffman frequently haunts. Through her observations of him, she slowly falls in love... But wait for what happens next...
1. Chapter 1

_Evolution of a Man_

_By HannahC_

He was like clockwork. I could always count on him coming into the bar every night.

At first it was every Friday, he got off duty and came in for a single beer to relax and kick the weekend off. At this point, he was friendly to everyone he saw and he was a complete gentlemen to me. And around this place, a gentleman was very rare indeed. Most of the guys around here were just interested in getting drunk and sneaking a hit at the bartender's ass, which just so happened to be me. But he was never like that. We never really spoke but he was always very pleasant… and handsome to boot.

But then something changed…. I heard that his sister was killed. My heart went out to him and I wanted nothing more than to just comfort him… But he didn't even know my name. When I first heard the news I thought the routine would stop and I would rarely see him, but in fact he started coming in every day. And not just for one beer, now it was for eight or nine, or until we had to call him a cab… and he was no longer the gentlemen I once knew; now he was angry and bitter at everyone around him. This went on for over a year. He came in every night, got drunk, and occasionally started an ugly bar fight. I even started morning for the man that I never got a chance to introduce myself to; even though the man himself was still alive… he just wasn't the same man anymore. But then one day that all changed.

I heard he had become the lead detective in the search for the Jigsaw Killer. For awhile nothing much changed except that he didn't get completely drunk on some nights, but then he didn't come in for a few days and I began to worry that maybe he never would again. Then one Friday he was back. He was back and almost like his old self again… almost. He ordered one beer and was pleasant, but his smile no longer reached his eyes. He was almost a shell of the man he once was, but there was something else there now. A purpose… He always looked as if he was planning something greater than… this.

And this is how I came to observe the evolution of this man, a man named Mark Hoffman. Even now as I watch him from behind the bar, I realize he is no longer the man I first saw and still I just want to walk right up to him and say "Hi my name is Sara…" But what would a man like that want from a girl like me.

_Stop thinking do negatively! _My own internal voice commanded me. _You are beautiful, smart, independent, funny… Why wouldn't a man like that want you? All you have to do is walk right up to him and say "Hello". It's that simple. _Yes, but I lacked the courage to turn my thoughts into action. Aww Hell, just get it over with….

Author's Note: So this is my first SAW story and I don't truly know where it is going to go, but I felt as if I started writing it, it would just flow outta me, so we shall see….. hmmmm anyways, as you can guess, I am a fan of Costas Mandylor. I find him very attractive and I can't even tell you why and since there are not very many stories about Hoffman, I decided to write one of my own. So I hope you like it and will review :D Until next time…

~Hannah


	2. Chapter 2

Evolution of a Man

Chapter Two

By HannahC

Aww Hell, why not…. I'll just walk over there and see if he needs another drink and I'll take it from there. But just as I get up the nerve and start to walk his way, an older man sits down with him at the table. Well great, now what do I do? I've walked half way to his table… _Oh I know, that table looks like it needs cleaning. _So as I begin to clean the table next to his, I overhear his conversation with the older man:

"I told you never to contact me out in public." Mark didn't seem pleased with the older man's sudden appearance. "If you are ever caught and I am connected to you…"

"Relax Detective, I have my ways of staying anonymous and no one here seems to be any type of law abiding citizen, so I don't think you have to worry about any person that matters connecting you to me." The older man laughed him off. He looks up just in time to see me looking at them and smiles. Well Hell, guess I better go over and say something now.

"Hi, can I get you two anything else?" I said feeling a little unsure of walking over here.

"No, we're fine." He didn't even look up at me as he brushed me off.

"Hold on Detective," The older man said looking up at me. "I apologize for my friend's rudeness. I, myself, am not a beer man, but do you by chance serve wine?" I smiled and listed for him our very short list of cheap wines. "Yes, okay then, I think I would like a simple red wine. Thank you very much…"

"Sarah, my name is Sarah." This was not the way I had always imagined introducing myself to the man I had been crushing on for years, but oh well. At least now he knew my name. "And I'll just go get you that glass of wine." I said as I walked back over to the bar to pour the wine into a glass. As I was doing so, I reminded myself to breath. This was the first time I had ever spoken to this man, even if it was through his friend. I just needed to relax and be myself.

I walked back over to their table with the glass of wine in my hand. "Here you go." I said as I set it down in front of the older man. "Would you like anything else?" I risked another glance at the detective, but he was too busy glaring at the other man to notice me.

"No, that will be all that is needed of you for now Sarah." He looked over at the detective and then smiled back up at me. "But since my friend here is being so rude, I will take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is John." He offered his hand to me and I took it with a smile. "And my friend over here is Mark."

"Well it has been nice meeting you both. But I have to go get back to work." I said and then walked back behind the bar.

For the rest of the night, I continued to watch their table. They stayed for the majority of the night. Though it didn't look they were enjoying each other's company. By the time it was almost time to close, they were the only ones left in the bar. Not too much later, John shook his head and got up from the table. He said some last parting words to Mark that I could not hear and walked my way to pay his tab. As he handed me his card, I offered him a smile.

"Give him more time." His words shocked me. What was he talking about?

"I'm sorry; I don't know what you mean." I told him honestly.

"Hoffman over there… He's been through a lot. You've probably seen him at his worse in this bar. But he has been tested and has been proved the better for it. All I'm saying is, don't give up on him just quite yet." And with that he walked out the door, leaving me standing there to ponder over his cryptic words. Did he know about my feelings for Mark? Was I that obvious? Did Mark know then? He was still sitting over there at his table looking into his long empty glass. Should I go over there?

I made up my mind and walked over his way.

"Hey, so slow night." I said lamely. _Slow Night? What am I doing? _"So do you need anything else or are you ready?"

For the first time he looked up at me. "No that will be all." He looked down at his glass again and then slowly got up and grabbed his jacket off of the other chair. Assuming that would be it for our communication, I turned around and walked over to the register. "Why have you worked here all this time anyway?" His out of the blue question startled me and caused me to turn around and look him in the eye.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Correct me if I'm wrong; But you're in school and you're a respectable young woman, so why are you working in a seedy place like this?" He asked looking directly into my eyes.

I was shocked to say the least. I never thought he had even noticed me, much less knew some details about me that even my boss didn't know. How did he know that I was going to the local community college to become a nurse?

"Well, I am a student and that requires money and that requires a job, so here I am. And this place isn't so bad, I mean you come here don't you, so how bad can it be?" I finally answered him. To my surprise he smirked and chuckled a little.

"And what makes you think I'm not bad?" He said.

"Well, you're a cop aren't you?" This made him stop laughing.

"Yes, well… This just isn't a good place for a girl like you." He said as he put on his coat and headed for the door. "You should probably look for another place to work."

"But if I didn't work here then I wouldn't get to look forward to seeing you every day and let's face it, with the type of men we get in here, you are the highlight of my day." I told him honestly.

He stopped where he was with the door half way open and looked back at me one more time, "I shouldn't be."

_Author's Note: So yay! Another chapter! I hope everyone had a good day and has gone and seen SAW 3D… Wasn't as good as some of the others but still worth seeing… Anyway, see you next chapter XOXO ~Hannah_


	3. Chapter 3

_Evolution of a Man_

_Chapter Three_

_By HannahC_

_"But if I didn't work here then I wouldn't get to look forward to seeing you every day and let's face it, with the type of men we get in here, you are the highlight of my day." I told him honestly._

_He stopped where he was with the door half way open and looked back at me one more time, "I shouldn't be."_

"But you are…" I whispered the words to myself, but he was already out the door and down the street, so even if I had spoken them aloud he still wouldn't have heard them. _What have I done? What if I have scared him away?_ But I had no time to worry about such things now, I had to help close down the bar and get home as soon as I could, to get in some last minute studying for my exam tomorrow.

So I flipped the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' and locked the door. I turned around and surveyed the mess that had been left behind by our less than reputable customers: "Looks like it's going to be a long night, better get to work."

After what felt like hours of cleaning, I finally made it home so I could take a shower and get in about an hour more of studying. The next day wasn't too bad and I believe that I did well on my test. But I was still a little worried about what would happen that night; _Would he show up like always? Or would he stay home to avoid our awkward conversation from last night? _

Either way, there was no way I could skip work: I needed the money and besides there wasn't really anyone to fill in for me. I had no choice but to go and wait to see if he showed up. And I wasn't disappointed…

At his usual time of about 7:30pm, he got off duty and came walking in to take up his post at his usual table. But today, unlike all the other days, before he sat down he took a quick survey of the bar. When his eyes met mine he smiled and I smiled back. Just that small gesture made me feel bold and so I decided that since we weren't busy, I would walk over to his table and say hey.

"Guess I'm not changing jobs anytime soon." I said with a smile.

"Even though I wish you would. You're too good for a place like this." He said very seriously.

"Oh yeah? Then why is it that you come in here every night?" I asked.

"Maybe I come for the service or for the company of the lovely bartender?" He said and I was shocked into silence. Was he flirting with me?

"I'll take that as a compliment and get you a beer, on the house of course just for making my day." I couldn't believe my own boldness! Where had that come from? Since when was I able to flirt back with a man? _Oh well, just go with it. If he is flirting with me, I might as well flirt back or this will go nowhere._

I went behind the bar and grabbed him the same beer that he had been ordering for years now, but now I would bring it to him myself and maybe even have a small conversation. I was still smiling as I set the beer down in front of him. I figured since that I was already being so bold, why not push my limit?

"So to be honest, I didn't know if you would show up tonight." I said looking him in the eye.

"Oh really, and why's that?" He asked with a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Well, I think I made it quite obvious last night that I liked you and I was a little worried that I might have scared you off." By this time not even my new found boldness could ward off the blush that I felt slowly rising to my cheeks.

"It would take more than a small girl like you to scare me off. But to be honest, I worry that I am too old for you. Besides, you need a good man in your life; I fear I can't be him. I would be no good for you" His words just about broke my heart, but there was no way that I was going to give up now.

"How the Hell do you presume to know what I need or what is good for me?" I said, a little anger rising into my voice. "And how old do you think I am? I am a grown woman who can make her own decisions about who she needs or wants in her life!" To my surprise, he just smiled at my attempt of anger. This just made me even angrier.

"I meant you no disrespect. It's just that a woman in her twenties should be worried about the next party she is going to attend, not about whether she has upset some older man with her feelings. And I am not telling you that I don't feel the same about you, I am just saying that maybe this, _us_, wouldn't be what is best for you." As he said the word 'us' I felt my heart jump into my throat. I had fantasized about this man, sure, but I had never truly thought there would ever be an _us_ to even talk about. But here we were discussing it as if it would never happen, and I'll be damned if I ever let the possibility slip through my fingers.

"Well, I'm not like most women my age. I'm not worried about partying. What I'm worried about is the man who has showed up in my bar every night to drink away whatever it is that has happened to him. I have seen you change over the past few years." At this point, my boldness had gotten the better of me and I reached out a hand to touch his cheek. To my relief, he did not pull away. He looked shocked at first and then closed his eyes. "I saw you at your worst after your sister died." I whispered the last part, but I know that he heard me because he flinched as I spoke those words. He turned away from me then and made a move to grab his coat.

"I should go…" He started.

"No please… Look I know it wasn't my place to say anything. I just want you to know that I know you; I know what you have been through… I know you, and I know that you are not _bad_. You're the good guy. You're the kind of guy every girl dreams of finding, trust me on that." I looked him in the eyes throughout my little speech and to my surprise, he hadn't looked away from me either.

"I wish that were true. I really do. But it isn't. I've been through more than you know…"

"Then tell me! Look, all I'm saying is that you should just give this a chance. If things don't work out, so be it. But just give it a shot!" By this point I was so frustrated, I was near tears.

"Sarah, I'll make you a deal. For this next week, I won't be able to come in here at night. I have some things I need to take care of. So in this week I want you to go out and act your age. Go meet and flirt with guys your age. Don't think of me at all, and then in a week when I come back here, we can discuss this further. Do we have a deal?" He was serious, wasn't he? He really wanted me to go out and meet other guys…. Well fine, if he wanted me to prove to him that he was the right guy for me, then fine.

"You have a deal." I said and held out my hand for him to take, which he did. As soon as I felt his hand touch mine, my heart went into overtime. I smiled at him, it was then that I realized how forward I had been this entire conversation and my blush caught up to me. With embarrassment, I started backing towards the bar. "I should get back to work then."

"Yes I guess you should." He must have noticed my slight blush because he wore a slight smirk of amusement.

Just then the conversation on the TV caught my attention. The news reporter was talking about another finding of the Jigsaw Killer's so called "games".

"Man, every time I turn around this world just keeps getting crazier and crazier." I said and turned around and walked behind the bar. I missed the look on his face as he nodded solemnly and turned towards the TV.

_Author's Note: BIG SHOUT OUT to the few people who have reviewed :D (_ SawManiac211, LoveLoveLove, katiespencer83, Erik'sTrueMuse, tolfaen, and the mischievous pixie)_. Love you guys! Also I just wanted to say that I would not be describing the way Sarah looks for a reason. I want you, the reader, to envision her as however you might choose, whether you see her as yourself or someone else. I may later on describe her, but for now how she looks is up to you. I hope you enjoy and keep reading and reviewing. Always, XOXO ~Hannah_


	4. Chapter 4

_Evolution of a Man_

_Chapter Four_

_By HannahC_

"Why am I here again?" I shouted over the music. For the purpose of keeping my promise, I had decided to go out to a club two of my best friends, Brittany and Amanda. But the music was way too loud and these people were way too close for comfort.

"Because you told us you wanted to have a night on the town!" Amanda yelled back at me.

"Yeah, plus you wanted to hook up with some hot guys!" Brittany said as she gave me a hip bump.

"Um no, what I said was that I wanted to have a girls-night out on the town to _maybe meet_ some guys, not "hook up" with some guys." I corrected them. In truth, I was just feeling guilty about not fully living up to my side of the deal. Here it was, the week almost over, and I hadn't really "acted my age". I had attempted going out other nights, but this just wasn't my scene.

"Hey so whatever happened with that cop guy you kept telling me about?" Brittany asked.

"What cop guy? You never told me about a "cop guy"?" Oh here we go. There was a reason I had told Brittany about Mark and not Amanda. Brittany was all about listening and giving advice, where as Amanda was all about gossip. She was like a blood hound, once she got a sniff of a story she might like, she never let it go. There was that and also the fact that I lived with Brittany so she saw me come home every night and she noticed how different I became after I spoke to him.

"It's no big deal. There's just this guy who's been coming to the bar for a while who I happen to flirt with once in a blue moon." I shrugged it off and made it appear as if it was no big deal, that way, hopefully, she would let it go. But no such luck:

"Oh Miss Sarah has been flirting with a guy? That _is_ a big deal. Since when do you flirt?" Her mocking tone almost annoyed me but I knew she was only teasing. "You only dated that guy David all throughout High School but once the two of you broke up… let's just put it this way, you've been through quite a dry spell." She said with a laugh.

"Hey! I'm sorry if I just have higher standards than the two of you!" I teased back.

"Hey, low blow! You know that Amanda is a 'Free Spirit'…" Brittany intervened.

"Oh is that what they call it now? Here I was thinking that she was just a wh…"

"Okay enough out of you Missy!" Amanda said with a laugh. "Anyway, do you see any prospects in here?" She asked, obviously forgetting her earlier questions.

I surveyed the room. I wasn't really all that interested in finding a guy here, but I might as well make it look like I was. Hmmm, there was a cute guy over by the bar that kept checking us out. Should I make an attempt to go talk to him?

Wait! Suddenly I saw a man over in the corner that looked familiar… Is that? No it couldn't be… What would Mark being doing here? Aww Hell, I couldn't get Mark off my mind. Maybe he was right; I needed to live a little. Well, here was my chance because that cute guy from the bar was walking over our way. Time to put up or shut up.

"Hey, how are you ladies doing tonight?" The guy said a little awkwardly. Well, I'll give him an 'A' for effort.

"We're doing pretty good, how about you?" Amanda answered.

"Better since I've been talking to you. What's your name?" Ugh, this guy was so lame. Amanda shoved me a little with her shoulder to remind me to answer.

"Sarah. You?" I asked a little reluctant to give this guy my name.

"My name's Nick. Here, why don't we go get you something to drink." He said grabbing my arm and steering me in the direction of the bar. Um, wait a minute what did this guy think he was doing?

"Hold up." I said stopping him where we were. "Brittany, Amanda! Come on we're going to the bar!" There was no way I was going off with this guy alone. The guy looked a little slighted at my invitation to my friends, but what did he expect? I didn't know him. Brittany and Amanda gave me an odd look, but soon followed anyway.

"So what are you drinking tonight?" He asked me once we got to the bar.

"Oh, I just want a vodka tonic." Nick seemed pleased with my answer and quickly turned to the bartender to order what I asked for.

Just then Brittany grabbed me by the arm and pulled me away so that Nick couldn't hear her. "Do you want us to go off for a while and leave you two alone?" She asked.

"Honestly, no. I just don't feel comfortable being alone with this guy I just met." I told her.

"Girl, come on! You two won't be alone. Look around you, this place is crowded." By this point she seemed exasperated with me. "You need to get out there and give this guy a chance! What's the worst that could happen? You don't like him? No big deal! Just give it a shot, that's all I'm saying. We'll be waiting in the wings if you want to leave."

"Yeah, Sarah! We'll be right here if you need us!" Amanda piped in.

"Fine… But you two stay close by!" I can't believe I am giving into these two.

I turned back to the bar where Nick was waiting with my drink.

"Where are your friends heading off to?" He asked.

"Oh, they just wanted to go dance." I offered as an excuse.

"Oh, well, I can't say that I'm sad about that. I've really wanted to talk to you." He said, handing me my drink and smiling.

"Really? About what?" I said taking the drink from him.

"You. Here, let's head this way and find some place comfortable to sit." He said taking my elbow and pulling me in the direction of the poorly lit seating area. In the back of my mind I knew this probably wasn't the best place to go. But I went anyway and say down at a table with him in the back corner. "There, this is more comfortable. Drink your drink." He told me.

I obliged, but only because I thought the alcohol would make this situation less awkward. The cold drink felt good on my tongue, but something tasted off. I shrugged this off to the fact that it had been a while since I last drank any alcoholic beverage.

"So what is it about me that you would like to talk about?" I asked him.

"Everything sweetheart; Tell me about your life. I want to know everything about your pretty little face." He said.

I laughed at this. I couldn't help, I just felt so… off. Plus that was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. What guy says that to a girl? "I'm sorry, but that was just so cheesy." I told him honestly. Since when was alcohol this fast acting? What was wrong with me?

"It's okay." He said with a laugh. "My pride is easily healed." He smiled, but there was something off about that smile. It seemed kind of predatory.

I turned around and scanned the crowd looking for Amanda or Brittany, but they were nowhere in sight. Was it me or was the room spinning? What was going on? All I knew was that I needed to get out of here and fast.

"Hey, did you see where my friends went?" I asked in my attempt of a normal voice, but I think my fear masked my attempt of that.

"Oh there just over there on the dance floor. No need to bother them anytime soon." He answered in a completely different voice than he had been using before.

"No, I think I need to find them. I just remembered I have something…" But by this point my jaw was starting to feel very heavy and it was hard to speak anymore.

"Shhh don't worry, I got you." He said with a laugh. "I think it's time that we ditched this joint." That being said, he pulled my arm around his shoulders and forced me to stand up and walk. He headed towards the exit, but when the door men gave him a weird look he shrugged them off; "Seems my girl has had too much to drink. I think it's about time I take her home." The men now looked at him as if he were some gentleman looking after his girlfriend, not the sick pervert that he was. It was at this point that I realized what could really happen if I let him take me away and so I tried my hardest to struggle, but it was pretty much hopeless.

"Now stop that. There's no need to cause a scene. You know you want this." He said in the slimiest voice you could imagine. _Like Hell I do._ I thought.

By now we were in the parking lot, heading to what I assumed was his car. This was my last chance. I had to do something! With all the strength I could muster, I tried to force a scream out of my mouth. But it was no use; the sound that emitted from me was not loud enough to catch anyone's attention.

Then all of a sudden I felt a weight knock Nick down. Had someone heard me? I tried to stand on my own and look around, but there was no strength left in my legs and I fell to the ground. But the strange thing was; the ground didn't hurt so much. This surprised me until I realized that it wasn't the ground I was feeling, but somebody's arms. Someone had caught me before I fell.

I used whatever strength I had left in me to raise my head and look at my rescuer. I was rewarded with the sight of beautiful blue eyes.

"Mark…" I said as my world around me went dark.

_Author's Note: And another chapter done! Wo0t! But don't get too excited cause it's the weekend which means I have to work, which means I don't have as much time to write… :'( _

_Oh! I wanted to note that "Amanda" in this chapter is not the Amanda that is in the movies. I named Sarah's friends after my friends and one of my best friends just happens to be named Amanda. I didn't realize until just now that this may be confusing, but I don't want to go back and change it so you'll just have to deal with it._

_Anyway, I hope you all are having a great weekend! Until next time, XOXO ~Hannah _


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